1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an optical coupler for optical fibers. More particularly, the invention relates to a miniature mechanical transferring (MT) optical coupler (“MMTOC”) which can passively and communicatively connect at least two ribbons of optical fibers.
2. Related Art
Fiber optic technology generally refers to the transmission of light through transparent glass or plastic fibers. The light beams transmitted through the fibers, known as optical fibers, may be encoded with data by modulating the light beams.
Optical fibers are often bundled together in an optical fiber ribbon. In order to connect one optical fiber ribbon (or one set of optical fibers) to another optical fiber ribbon, a variety of fiber optic connectors may be used. Fiber optic connectors typically mechanically couple and align the cores of fiber so that light can pass from one fiber to another. One type of fiber optic connector is a mechanical transfer (MT) connector. The MT connector may be male or female, having a plurality of small openings or ferrules through which individual fibers may be threaded. The male MT connector is designed to physically connect with the female MT connector to communicatively connect the fibers of the optical fiber ribbons.
Currently, if an application requires one optical fiber ribbon to send light beams to two different optical fiber ribbons, the cores of the fibers must be actively aligned. Two commercially available methods exist for splitting the signals from one optical fiber ribbon into two optical fiber ribbons. One method for splitting signals from one optical fiber ribbon into two optical fiber ribbons requires the formation of a star coupler, which is formed by laying fibers next to each other and fusing them together. Manufacturing a star coupler is time intensive and requires a great deal of precision to get the light beam to split evenly. Another method for splitting the signals from one optical fiber ribbon into two optical fiber ribbons requires the formation of optical wave guides, which involves laying down the optical fibers onto a piece of silicon and then overcoating the silicon dioxide to form optical “tunnels”. These tunnels can be shaped to split the optical signal into multiple paths. This method is expensive and complex. Each of these prior art methods require that the fibers be actively coupled, meaning that at least a portion of each individual fiber must be physically adapted in a substantially permanent way, such as fusing two fibers together or bonding the fibers together with another substance. This type of active coupling is time consuming and can not easily be altered or disconnected without cutting the fiber.
Accordingly there is a need for a method and apparatus for communicatively coupling two or more sets of optical fibers that does not suffer from the problems and limitations of the prior art.